Sudan Social media monitor

Sudan In The News’ Social Media Monitor sheds light on the dominant public opinion trends among the Sudanese people, as expressed on social media.

It will also provide English-speaking audiences with a reflection of Sudanese views, opinions and priorities as expressed in Arabic.

Why is it necessary?

While various entities claim to represent the will of the Sudanese people, research into Sudanese public opinion is limited.

The research that does exist is often not done transparently, leading to criticisms that it is not inclusive or accurately represents public opinion.

For example, the findings of a recent “grassroots” Sudanese public opinion research initiative was widely condemned by Sudanese people. It was considered to have failed to represent popular sentiments due to absence of major issues of importance to the Sudanese people as reflected in social media activity and global protests.

Failing to represent Sudanese public sentiments effectively leads to inadequate proposed solutions for Sudan’s complex problems, given that they fail to consider the views of the most important stakeholder and who they are meant to benefit: the Sudanese people.

This is why, in the interests of improving the way that Sudan’s problems are solved, we are launching the Sudan social media monitor.

Why social media?

Social media sheds light on public opinion trends as it provides a statistical reflection of the popularity of sentiments. For example, Sudanese public priorities can be ascertained by the popularity of hashtags.

Thus, social media is a prism for understanding the political divides in Sudan and debates around how the war should end.

In addition, experts on Sudan’s information ecosystem suggest that Sudanese public opinion offline is informed by what is disseminated online.

Building a better understanding of Sudanese public opinion can pave the path for consensus and the development of solutions that are in the public interest. Just as social media played a crucial role in sustaining the revolution, it is pivotal in attempts to end the war.

Nonetheless, we still plan improve the social media monitoring process, and suggestions would be welcomed.

Sudan In The News can be contacted on Twitter or on email at sudaninthenews@gmail.com.